Boiler water systems are constantly subjected to stress during their operation. For example, corrosion and scaling are various types of stresses that impact the ability of a boiler water system to operate efficiently and safely. There are several boiler water treatment programs that are designed to combat these stresses.
Various types of chemicals are added to the boiler water system to relieve boiler water system stresses. Therefore, it is important to make sure an adequate amount of chemical(s) are added to the boiler water system. Over-feeding is also not desirable because of unwanted wastage of chemicals and chemical costs. One way of monitoring chemicals in a boiler water system is by fluorometrically monitoring an inert fluorescent tracer that is added to the boiler water system in known proportion to the chemical added to the boiler water system. This methodology is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,386 issued to Hoots et al, which is herein incorporated by reference.
Leakage in a boiler water system also creates stress on the boiler water system. One way of monitoring leakage in a boiler water system is by fluorometrically monitoring an inert fluorescent tracer added to the boiler water system. This methodology is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,967 issued to Hoots et al, which is herein incorporated by reference.
Several industrial processes, for example, electric utility plants, operate boiler water systems above 1500 psig. One of ordinary skill in the art would typically not apply the protocols described above in applications above 1500 psig because the fluorescent tracer is thought to be unstable and very likely to decompose into an organic acid that could corrode the boiler water system. Thus there is a need to bring the benefits of fluorometrically traced technology to industrial processes that require boiler water operation above 1500 psig.